Red

Red is associated with blood, fire, love, and life (Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, p. 127); with emotions, especially intense emotions, but also with war and death. It is a color for both love goddesses and the whore of Babylon; the color of sin and passion; synonymous with the soul and, according to alchemists, the aqua permanens extracted from the prima materia.

Feeling Function  

In dreams, red can be an expression of the feeling function in Jungian typology, as blue represents the thinking function (Psychology of Yoga and Meditation, p. 127). Related to this is the Jungian therapist Aeppli's statement (quoted in Symbollexikonet 1991, p. 348) that red in a dream “says ... something about feelings.”

Alchemy

The alchemists spoke of a "red man" as a personification of the prima materia, as a precursor to the philosopher’s stone. The red knight in the Grail legends is seen as a sign of “Parsifal’s coming inner wholeness” (The Grail Legend, p. 57).  

In alchemy, the different stages were described with colors. Red (rubedo) generally denoted the third and penultimate stage, or the final stage; in either case, it follows the white stage and may be followed by the yellow stage (for gold).

Red and Green

In contemporary dreams, red and green often symbolize “stop” and “go,” or “stay away” and “this is a path forward.”

Red and White  

Red may suggest embodiment and life, while white represents enlightenment. The latter must be concretized with the red for lasting value (rubedo).

It is common for the red color to be associated with the sunrise. Red and white together are a pair that in alchemy refers to the sun and the moon.

As a dream symbol, red may suggest the hot, corporeal, and unconscious, while white suggests the cool, spiritual, and conscious.

Red and Black  

Red and black are a common color pair and usually symbolize the underworld – fire and darkness.

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